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2/23/2017

Local church to partner with Belleville organizations to offer free domestic violence community seminar

(Belleville, IL) – On Saturday, March 11, New Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and Senior Pastor Rory Brooks, in partnership with HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, the Violence Prevention Center of Southwestern Illinois, the Belleville Police Department, Women’s Safe House, and the St. Clair County States Attorney’s Office will host a Domestic Violence Community Seminar from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at 250 Lebanon Ave, Belleville, IL 62221. The event is free and open to the public.

“New Antioch Missionary Baptist Church (NAMBC) is pleased host the Domestic Violence Seminar for residents of Belleville and surrounding communities,” said Thomas Catchings, Men Ministry Leader and Event Organizer for NAMBC. “Domestic violence is an issue in all social, economic, racial, and religious groups and it happens much more frequently than many of us realize. We invite all community members, local organizations and business leaders to attend and help us spread the word about this important event.”

The seminar will include a diverse panel of domestic violence experts including:

Daniel E. Lewis, Chief of Special Prosecutions, St. Clair Co. States Attorney's Office

Guests of the event will receive information from all panelists and have the opportunity to ask questions.

“We greatly encourage residents of our community to take the time to attend this event,” notes Darlene Jones, Executive Director for the Violence Prevention Center. “While many may feel that they aren’t impacted by Domestic Violence, the reality is that one in four women will be abused at some point in their life. In addition, in the United States, a man physically harms a woman every 12 seconds. That is 7,200 outbursts of violence a day, 50,400 every week, and roughly 2.6 million every year. Unfortunately, domestic violence is around us, and the best way to help put an end to domestic violence is by educating yourself on what domestic violence is, understanding community resources and knowing how to get help when needed.”

The Domestic Violence Seminar is part of NAMBC’s community health outreach and education program which began in November of 2015. The church plans to continue community program offerings in the future.

For more information about this event, visit facebook.com/nambc.org, or call (618) 233-7382 or 601-594-5350.